Regulator for fluid-pressure apparatus.



A. G. E. RATEAU. REGULATOR FOR FLUID PRESSURE APPARATUS. APPLICATIONFILED JAN.19, 1907. RENEWED JAN. 20. 1910.

Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

A. G.B .RATEAU. REGULATOR FOR FLUID PRESSURE APPARATUS. A 1,080,582.

Patented Dec. 9, 19.13.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I I .2721622222': fitfl fi 6 6 ZZZ}! (@3 driven by the impeller, andsubject the con-t run sTAfr Ez PATENT @FHCE nusus'rze c umps EDMONDnumeric, or rams, FRANCE.

nusunn'ron Font FLUID-PRESSURE Arrnnnrus Specification of LettersPatent.

latcntedlDec. a", 1913.

Application fi ed January 18, 190?, Serial No. 353,040. Renewed January20, 1910,. Serial No. 539,138.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTE GAMILLE EDMOND RATEAU, citizen of theRepublic of France, residing at Paris, France, have invented a certainnew and useful Improvement in Regulators for Fluid-Pressure Apparatus,ofwhich the following ,is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to the regulation of motors drivingfluid-impelling apparatus, such as centrifugal compressors, and has forits object to make available, as a basis for regulation, variations inthe fluid discharge, by creating thereby variations in pressure ofsuflicient strength to operate easily the piston or other moving part ofthe controlling mechanism which overns the speed of the motor furnishingthe power.

My invention also looks toward the provision of means for maintainingconstant the proportions of difl'erent fluids in a mixture discharged byimpelling apparatus which receives such fluids separately.' I

In accordance with my invention I provide a multiplier ofpressure-difference arranged to be acted upon by the fluid currenttrolling part, such as a piston or diaphragm of the motor-regulator, tosuch multiplied pressuredifierence. 'Ihe multiplier preferably consistsof a series of converging-di vex-gin tubes disposed in the fluid currentdriven y the impeller, these tubes being arranged concentrically oneinside the other,

'the discharge mouth of each inner tube being located at the constrictedortion or neck ton (or equivalent part) of the being put incommunication with the neck of v of the tube next outside, one ace ofthe pis the innermost tube, "In a conver 'ng -diverging tubeconvsifiingja' fluid'cur'rent, the

static pressure. at

e constricted portion is muchiess-than at the discharge mouth of saidtubes, and by arranging several such tubes as indicated thepressurerdiiference is greatly multiplied. My invention alsocontemplates the provision of a by-pass around the multi lier with avalve controlling said by-pass,w ere by the regulation may be made moreperfeet. I a so preferably combine the pressure regulator with acentrifugal governor upon the motor, so as to regulate sald motor uponthe basis both of its speed and of the stren of the fluid current. Myinvention will be described more perlater ticularly by reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which.

Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the regulator .as applied to aturbine-driven air compressor; Fig. 2 illustrates an application of theinvention totwo compressors arranged to receive two different gases anddischarge a mixture thereof, the regulating mechanism serving todetermine and maintain constant the proportions of the respective gasesin the mixture.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts wherever they areshown.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the turbine enginc a driving the centrifugalair-compressor 1) receives its steam through a pipe 0 (indicated by adotted line)-the supply of steam being controlled by the valve d of theregulating mechanism. This valve is arranged to be opened and closed bya sys-' tem of levers operated both by the usual centrifugal governor gof the turbine and by the piston e which is controlled by the fluidressure. The piston 6 works in the cylin er e and in this caseissubjected on one side to the atmospheric pressure, and on the other toa pressure derived through the I multiplier? of pressure-difference,acted upon by the fluid current of the compressor,

and which is variable therewith. The mulv tiplierin this case iscomposed of a series of convergent-divergent tubes arrangedconcentrically in the pipe f traversed by the fluid current, thedischarge mouth of each tube being locatedat the constricted portion orneck of the tube-merit outside. In a convergent-divergent tube conveyinga fluid current, the fluid finding a smaller section 'of passage takeson a greater velocity, and

in the constricted portion of the tube there is a lowering of'pressureproportional to the square of the velocity and so to the tended toreceive the variable pressure. The 7 difference in pressure between theentrance tube is much greater than that which exists .and the neck ofthe convergent-divergent between the entrance and the eirit. It betweenthe entrance and the negk a similar lever 4, which lever at its oppositeend is connected by a link 5 with a lever 6 which is pivoted at 7. Theother end of the lever 6 is connected. to the sliding collar of acentrifugal governor g. The throttle valve 03 of the turbine 0: isarranged to be' operated by a lever 8 which is pivoted at 9, one end ofsaid lever actuating the stem of the throttle valve, and the other endof said lever being connected by a link 10 with the lever i at a pointintermediate its ends. The arrangement of levers is such that when thepiston e rises against the resistance of 'weight 'w, the lever 4 israised (assuming the opposite end to be held stationary by the link 5)and acting through the link 10 pushes the lever 8 in a direction toclose the throttle valve (Z of the turbine engine. The governor 9 actsin the usual manner through the lever 6, link 5, lever 4, link 10 andlever 8, to close the valve of the engine when the speed is too greatlyincreased, and to open the valve when the speed falls too low. For agiven tension of the spring 8, or a given value of the counterweight,the piston will be in equilibrium. only if the fluid discharge maintainsa. corresponding constant value. If, for any cause the fluid dischargevaries, the spring and counterweight will act to displace the piston andact upon the motor-controller (in this case the steam admission valve ofthe. turbine) to change the speed of the motor sufiiciently to bring thefluid discharge back to its normalyalue.

Thus if the volume of fluid discharged through the pipe f 'is toogreatly increased, the pressure at the constricted portion of the innerone of the series of tubes is very greatly decreased, and the piston ebeingsubjected tothis multiplied variation of pressure, rises againstthe resistance of Weight w, and acts toclose the throttle valve 03 ofthe turbine engine, whereby the speed of the engine and the"com-'pressor is reduced until the discharge is brought back to its normalvalue. By varying the tension of the spring 8 or the mass of thecounterweight w, the apparatus may be caused to maintain anydesirednormal out-- put To obtain a perfect regulation of the output,the two extremities of the multiplier aoeassa may be connected by a pipe78 forming a bypass, that may be opened to a greater or less extent bymeans of a vane or valve, until the desired conditions of current floware exactly fulfilled; The motor may also be furnished with an ordinaryregulator such as the centrifugal governor g, connected by a system oflevers to act in harmony with the fluid-pressure regulator.

Another application of my invention is illustrated in Fig. 2, whichindicates an organization for regulating the outputs of two compressorsso. that the ratio of these outputsshall remain constant. For example,if the compressors act to receive and mingle two difierent gases, thecomposition of the mixture may be maintained constant. For this purpose,in the circuit of each fluid a multiplier may be arranged, connected toone 0f--the ends of the regulator cylinder.

In Fig. 2 oneof the compressors 12 takes in a gas and discharges it intothereceiver 5 oi the second compressor 6 which also receives another gasthrough an intake 0. The two multipliers are placed in the intake pipesm and 0 for the two difierent gases. Variation of the output is obtainedby opening or closing more or less a valve '0 placed upon the intakepipe (or upon the discharge pipe) of one of the .compressors. f Theregulating mechanism will then be acted upon by the difl'ercnces inpressure set up by the.

two multipliers until these pressures and consequently the respectivequantities of gas delivered will be maintained in the desiredproportions.

I claim:

1. The combination with a fluid-impeller and a motor for driving thesame, of a multiplier of pressure-difierence arranged to be subjected tothevarying fluid current driven by said impeller, a speedsregula'tor forsaid motor, and means for causing theoperation of said speed-regulatorto respond to the multiplied variations of pressure-difi'erence producedby said multiplier of pressuredifierence.

2. The combination with a fluid impeller and a motor for driving thesame, of a regulater for said vmotorjcomprising a movable controllingpart adapted to respond to changes in fluid-pressure to vary the speedof the motor, a series of converging-diverging tubes disposed in thefiuid'current-driven by said impeller, said tubes being arrangedconcentrically one inside the other, t e discharge mouth of each innertube being located at the constricted portion of the tube next outside,and a pipe connecting the con.- stricted portion of the innermost tubewith the movable controlling part of the regu lator, whereby said partis subjected to multiplied differences in pressure proportional to thecurrent fl0w of the fluid, and the out: put from the impeller is therebyregulated.

3. The combination with a fluid-impeller and a motor for driving thesame, of a re later for said motor com rising. a mova le controllingpart adapte to res nd to changes in fluid-pressureto vary e speed of themotor, a multiplier of pressure-difference arranged to be acted upon bythe fluid current driven by said impeller, a bypass for the fluid aroundsaid multiplier, a valve controlling said by-pass, and means forcontinuously subjecting said movable controlling part of themotor-regulator to the multiplied varyin pressure-difierence, wherebythe output em. the impeller is regulated.

4. The combination with a fluid-impeller and a motor driving the same,of a centrifw' gal governor controlling the supply of energy tosaidmotor, and a. supplementary regulator combined therewith, having amovable controlling part adapted to respond to changes influid-pressure, a multiplier of pressure-difference arranged to be actedon by the varying fluid current driven by said impeller, and means forcontinuously sub;

jecting said movable controlling part to such multi lied variations ofpressure-difierence; where y the supply of energy to the motor sgoverned according to the output of the impeller, as well as accordingto the speed of said motor.

'5.The combination with a conduit'conveying fluid, of a multiplier ofpressure difference composed of a series of convergingdiverging tubesone inside the other in said conduit, mechanism subjected to themultiplied pressure difierence' existing at the constricted portion ofthe inner tube, and a bypass around said multiplier.

6. The combination with a conduit conveying fluid, of mechanical meansin said conduit for increasing the pressure-difference established bythe flowing fluid, regulating mechanism continuously subjected to themultiplied pressure difi'erence and a bypass around that portion of theconduit containing said means. I

7. The combination with a motor driven fluid impeller, of a regulatorfor said motor having a movable controlling part adapted to respond tochanges in fluid pressure, means for transforming step by step apressure difference created by the fluid current into a greatlyincreased pressure-difference, and means for continuously subjectingsaid movable controlling part to said proportionally increasedvariations of pressure-difference.

In witness whereof, I, hereunto subscribe my7nanie this 4th day 'ofJanuary A. D., 190

AUGUSTE GAMILLE EDMOND BA'l'EAU.

5 Witnesses:

FLUX SAR'I'ENSON,

Hanson C. Ooxn.

